The Only One
by blackfeatherangel
Summary: Kim goes missing, and the last person to see her alive is Duncan, or so the members of Yogscast believe. What they overlook is the book left on the other side of a portal near where Kim disappeared, with only one page not torn away. On that page is a name that can only mean the worst for the missing flux friend, Lalnable Hector. However, Kim isn't the only person to vanish...
1. Chapter 1

"Not again..." Duncan sighs as he looks at the book in his hand. Almost all of the pages have been torn out, but on one of the few remaining pages he finds the name 'Lanable Hector' signed at the bottom. "Every time now! All these witches huts and villages are totally ransacked by this Lalnable Hector!" He throws the book at a wall, then looks at his surroundings. There are cages and blooded workbenches filling the room, along with a blood stained chest he doesn't dare to open. "I really hope Kim get back to base soon. I'm getting kind of freaked out being here all alone." He quickly leaves the home and heads out into the abandoned village. Blood can be seen here or there, but for the most part nothing seems too out of the ordinary. Still, the entire village leaves Duncan with a heavy weight in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps its the lack of testificate noise, or the sights he had already encountered in his first home invasion within the town.

"Duncan! Where are you?" Kim's voice resounds in Duncan's ear, making him wince slightly.

"I'm in a village. Hold on, I'll put a portal down." He holds up his hand and an inventory appears in front of him. He then drags a portal gun from his inventory and into his hot bar. Once he closes the inventory he holds up his hand and the gun appears.

"Hurry up! You're so slow today."

"I'm not the one running a half hour late." Duncan aims the gun at the side of a house and shoots, creating an orange portal. "Okay." Almost instantly Kim runs through the portal, a smile on her face, while the gun disappears from Duncan's hand.

"I'm not late! A wizard..."

"No." Duncan says simply, stopping Kim in her tracks. He smirks slightly, but almost instantly it fades as he's reminded of the situation in this village. "Kim, it's real bad here."

"What'd you do now?" Kim questions as she looks up at Duncan.

"It's not me! It's Lalnable Hector again!" Duncan exclaims.

"Again?" Kim frowns. "This is getting really creepy Duncan." She takes a couple steps back from her friend. "Everyone is finding Lalnable's stuff lately, and I don't like it."

"Me neither." Duncan sighs. "I'd like to find this guy so we can stop him, but..."

"I'm a little scared to meet him." Kim turns and walks up to a house. "I mean, with the experiments and the food choice..." She trails off, not needing to finish her thoughts. She opens the door of the house, but almost immediately closes it again, a sickened look upon her face. She takes in a deep breath, then heads inside. Duncan follows, and he sees why she was so repulsed. There are pieces of testificates lying about, and the wooden furniture has turned a shade of red that Duncan doesn't think should exist.

"I think we found the kitchen house." Duncan says nonchalantly as he walks in and heads to a chest off to the side. He opens it, but quickly closes it again.

"I reeeeally don't like this Duncan." Kim turns to face her friend who is grabbing a book off a book shelf. He opens it and quickly scans a couple of pages.

"I think I found a recipe book."

"Duncan!"

"No, I'm serious." Duncan turns the book so Kim can see the pages. Written on them are recipes, not for food, but for machines. "I think these are some of those machines we keep finding."

"Great. Can we just go home?" Kim walks out of the building. "Maybe I should have stayed with Hannah a little lo... AHHH" Kim screams, making Duncan jump and clutch the book to his chest.

"Kim! Kim!" He drops the book and holds out his hand as he begins running to the door. At first a block of wood appears, but it's quickly replaced by Duncan's sword. However, when he gets outside he finds no trace of Kim or what made her scream. "Kim! Where are you? KIM!" He continues to shout as he runs through the village, but all he's met with is the silence that makes his heart ache and his mind race. "KIM!" He searches every house, but there's no sign of his friend. Finally, as he's running around, he notices his portal. He runs through it, but when he arrives back at Panda Labs he finds no one waiting for him. No smiling Kim attempting to hold back laughter, no kidnapper, no monsters. He stands there, a sudden hopelessness overtaking him. As he hangs his head he spots something on the floor, a book. He quickly snatches it up and opens it, but what he finds is something that makes him wish he had never looked down. "L-Lalnable Hector..." The name falls out of Duncan's mouth. There is nothing else written, in fact the remaining pages have been torn out. All that he can see is the last page of the book, with the name Lalnable Hector signed at the bottom. "Kim..."


	2. Chapter 2

Duncan paces back and forth, his nerves frayed as he images only the worst of what may become of his friend.

"Duncan?" Duncan jumps, caught off guard by the voice downstairs.

"U-up here!" Duncan shouts. After a few moments Lewis and Simon appear on the elevator block.

"Duncan! What happened?" Simon asks as he looks around.

"I-I don't know! I-I just... She just vanished! And when I tried coming back to base through a portal all I found was this book on the ground." Duncan hands the book to Lewis who opens it.

"Is this it?" He questions.

"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't it be?" Duncan frowns. "Come on guys, this is serious! Everyone's been finding these Lalnable Hector hideouts lately, and then all of a sudden Kim disappears and this book is back at our base? I don't like this."

"It does seem odd... But your clone should still be back at Yoglabs. Actually..." Lewis opens his inventory screen and looks through his belongings. "I don't have my list here, but I think I already sent the order for him to be destroyed so he can't cause anymore problems."

"Well maybe you should go check!" Duncan turns in anger, but quickly remembers he has nowhere to go and turns back. "I'm worried guys. Kim might play a joke, but she's been gone for a couple of hours now. She wouldn't just disappear like that and stay gone that long if she wasn't forced to."

"Look, I'll check with Hannah. Maybe Kim went back to see her."

"Don't worry Duncan." Simon pats Duncan on the back. "I'm sure Kim just got distracted by a butterfly or something." Duncan opens his mouth to respond, but he quickly closes it again, not having a response in mind.

"Just, don't worry. Look, everything'll be fine. Trust me." Lewis closes his inventory screen, but almost immediately a second screen pops up, this time with a keyboard. "I'll go ask around and see if anyone's helping her hide." Lewis types in a few words and then disappears.

"Come on, cheer up Duncan!" Simon smiles at Duncan, but the smile doesn't spread to the despair filled scientist. "Look, Lewis'll find her. I bet Kim's just mad at you about something." Simon starts looking through chests absentmindedly. "Did you recently get her a onesie and start calling her Mandrew?" Simon asks with a snicker. At last a smile reaches Duncan's lips as he remembers the many complaints and jokes made around Kim's present from Simon. "There we go! Looking better already! Come on, why don't you give me a tour or you know something like that?"

"I guess I could." Duncan takes in a deep breath, then slowly lets it out, gathering himself together. "Well, I guess we could start up here."

"Great! Now, you just start talking while I look for stuff to loot." Simon says as he abandons one chest and heads for another.

"Simon!" Duncan shouts. Both men laugh, the air of dread and worry finally washed away... For the most part.


	3. Chapter 3

It's been a few days since Kim disappeared. No one has seen her, or even heard from her. Of course, the person most disturbed by the vanishing of the fluxed girl is her mentor and friend, Duncan. For the past few days he, and several others, have been out scouting the area around where Kim disappeared, as well as the area around Panda Labs. Still, not a single sign of her has been found. As another tiring day comes to a close Duncan finds himself alone in a forest. Not unusual, but still unsettling given the circumstances.

"Kim, where are you?" Duncan quietly asks aloud as he flies up with his jet pack to look around. He does a slow circle in the sky, but nothing new or unusual shows up. He lands in a tree, then lets out a long, exasperated sigh. "This is hopeless. I can't believe she just disappeared like this."

"Duncan, can you hear me?" Lewis' voice reaches Duncan's ears. He holds up his hand and a small screen appears with the names of the other yogscast members. He clicks on Lewis' name, making it light up.

"Yeah, I hear you. Something happen?"

"Yeah... Uh, listen, go back to your base and we'll meet you there, okay?"

"Alright." Duncan clicks Lewis' name again, then excitedly begins his flight home. As he flies a miniature hang glider appears in his hand. He holds it above his head then gives it a light tap with his other hand. The glider quickly expands to its full size, and Duncan is able to glide home, occasionally using his jet pack to bring himself up a little higher and avoid any trees or mountains. As he flies many thoughts race through his mind. Did they find Kim? Is she okay? Did they find a clue? Did someone see her? Those questions and many others fill Duncan with one part dread, but two parts hope. Finally, after flying for a while, he spots Panda Labs off in the distance. "Almost there!" He opens his screen with the names again and clicks on Lewis. "Hey, I'm almost back. What about you?"

"We're here already."

"Okay, cool... Who all is there?" He asks, hoping for an answer he's almost certain he won't receive.

"Hannah, Simon, Sjin, Smiffy, and Trott."

"Okay." He clicks the listed names, his heart sinking a little as Kim isn't among them. He looks to her name on his screen. It's lit up, but no one seems to hear him. As he lands at the labs he taps his glider again. It shrinks down to its miniature size, then disappears from his hand. He walks inside to find his friends standing there, quietly murmuring amongst themselves as they look at a chest placed on a table. "Hey, what's up?" Duncan asks. Hannah and Simon jump, not having noticed Duncan when he walked in. They all open their screens and click on his name.

"Duncan..." Lewis starts, but he seems at a loss for words. Duncan's heart sinks even more, Lewis acting like that isn't a good sign. "We... Sjin got to looking around here to see if maybe you missed something before. As he was searching he happened upon a secret room..." At first Duncan is confused, but suddenly he remembers the last time a secret room was discovered in one of his bases, and his heart shatters. He knows now, there is no good news for him here.

"Wh..." He tries to speak, but he's choking on his words as he fights back his tears. He looks at each of his friends, but none look back at him, except for Lewis. "What d-did you find?" He finally forces out. When he gets no response he turns his attention to the chest that he doesn't recognize. His heart races as he spots some blood on the lid. "K-Kim?" He squeaks out, his voice failing him. Without thinking he reaches out and opens the chest, but he regrets it immediately. Inside he finds two things. One is a book, which looks like it's missing some pages. The other thing is a arm, stained with flux, and both knife and teeth marks scarring the blood covered skin. He stumbles back, the chest slamming shut as he does so. "N-no!" He shouts, unable to control himself. "No! Kim! Kim!" He feels the tears force their way out, and he can hear Hannah suffering the same issue. "No, no, no, no, no! Sh-she can't be dead! S-she would have just got back to her bed if she died, wouldn't she?" He looks to his friends, desperate for confirmation. What he finds is only tears and angry stares. "G-guys?"

"Duncan... This was found under your base, in a secret hideout, with a notebook describing what happened to her." Lewis says. Suddenly Duncan understands the stares.

"Y... You can't think I did this! I'm the one who's been looking for her all this time! I'm the one who said she went missing! You can't..." He starts to shout, but Hannah shouts back.

"It talks about you fooling us Duncan!" Hannah practically screams, making everyone stop and look at her. "It even talks about stealing her soul or something like that and using it as a power resource! She can't respawn anymore! She's dead! Completely dead! And it's your fault!" Hannah's unable to control her tears and her rage. She pulls out a sword and attacks Duncan. He responds by turning and running.

"It wasn't me!" He yells as he runs from Hannah.

"Sjin! Teleport him! Quickly!" Lewis shouts.

"I'm on it!" Duncan looks back just in time to see Sjin's spell smack him in the face. Suddenly he's teleported into a pitch black room.

"Guys! This isn't funny! Guys?!" Duncan starts screaming, hoping his friends will hear his plea. After a few minutes, with no one responding, he opens his inventory and searches through it. The screen fails him though, as he has no torches or any light source. "Oh come on!" He stamps his foot in anger, having nothing else to do. He closes the window and looks around, trying to inspect his surroundings as best he can. As he looks down a tiny screen at the top of his vision appears. The screen says bedrock, and his heart sinks. "Th-they really locked me in." He slowly starts walking, but he only gets a of couple steps away when he finds a wall. As he puts his hand against the wall and looks at the material he finds it too is bedrock. He follows the wall, tracing out the room. The open space appears to be a three by three cube, all made from bedrock. He leans back against a wall and sinks down, sobbing lightly. "Kim... I can't believe it. She's..." He can't finish the sentence. All he can do now is sit there and wait, the tears unable to stop as he thinks of his lost friend who will never return home.


	4. Chapter 4

Days pass without any change in Duncan's prison. He's tried everything he could think of to escape, but none of his tools affect the bedrock, and none of the commands he types in work. As he opens his inventory for the umpteenth time he sighs.

"If I die here I'll just respawn back at home. I wonder if they thought about that... I wonder if I could kill myself." He looks through his items. "I don't really have anything... I mean..." He groans. "I can't stand this! They can't really think it was me! Kim's me friend! She..." He hangs his head. "She was my friend..."

"Duncan..." Duncan jumps, then he scrambles to his feet.

"Y-yes! Who's there? Are you letting me out finally?" He asks as he spins around, trying to figure out where the voice came from.

"No. I came to ask you some questions." He finally stops, thinking he found the direction of the voice.

"Lewis, that's you, right? Come on! You know I couldn't kill Kim! I mean, not like that!" Duncan pleads as he walks towards his chosen wall. He presses his hand against it, as if that'll make some soft of difference. "Please, Lewis, listen to me!"

"I... Look, Duncan... The evidence..." Lewis struggles to continue. "We want to give you a chance, but how can we believe you under these circumstances?"

"I'm you're friend! You have to trust me! I wouldn't hurt Kim!" Duncan shouts as he smacks a fist against the wall. "I don't even know what room you guys were talking about! And if I killed her then why would her... her arm surprise me so much?" He asks, though the memory of Kim's arm makes him grimace.

"I know. But... But you could have been acting."

"I wasn't! Just give me a chance! Please!" He begs. There's silence for a few moments, something Duncan has had enough of. "Lewis? Lewis!"

"I'm here Duncan. I haven't left yet."

"Okay. Just, please..." He knows his voice is pathetic, but he can't help it. "Lewis, please, you guys know me. You know I wouldn't do that to her. Please." Silence again. However, before Duncan can say something else he hears a drawn out sigh.

"Duncan, we want to give you a chance. We do. This does seem totally out of place, but this is really suspicious too. I mean, she was found in a secret hideout in your base. There's a book that you wrote detailing what you did..."

"It wasn't me!" Duncan smacks his fist against the wall again. "I don't know what all that stuff is about, but it wasn't me! I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Alright Duncan, calm down." Duncan hears footsteps off in the distance.

"Lewis?"

"Duncan, we're gonna move you to a different cell. It'll be a little nicer, but before that we need you to give us all your stuff."

"Fine! Just get me out of here!" He waits, then suddenly he hears sound below him. He presses himself against the wall and watches the floor. Suddenly there's light, but only for a moment.

"Toss your stuff onto the floor. We want everything, okay?"

"Alright." He opens his inventory and dumps everything. He can hear the items being sucked into a vacuum hopper. "Okay! Done!"

"Everything? You're sure?"

"Yes! Let me out!" Things go silent, save for the sound of chests and footsteps.

"Okay, when we open the bottom you need to drop down." The center disappears, and the light looks beautiful to Duncan. He quickly hops into the hole, but after falling only a few blocks he lands in quicksand. As he sinks he has to cover his eyes, not used to the bright lights after being trapped in pure darkness for so long. When he finally recovers he moves his hands away and looks around, blinking a few times as his eyes make their final adjustments. He sees, well, almost nothing. There's his prison above him, a platform off to the side where Lewis and Sjin are standing, and the little 5 by 5 platform he's standing on with a layer of quicksand.

"My god, the sun." Duncan lets out a sigh of relief, but mid sigh he's hit with Sjin's spell and is teleported to a new cell. This one is on the ground. The floor is made of obsidian, but the walls and ceiling have layers to them. One of the layers is plain obsidian, but the other is obsidian and glass every other spot. Obsidian, obsidian and glass, obsidian, obsidian and glass, layering to create a 7 by 7 cell out in the middle of an open area. There's a chest in the corner. He waits a minute, but no one seems to be coming to speak with him, so he walks over to the chest. He opens it to find a few stacks of food, including pork chops, chicken, and bread. He eagerly takes out some pork chops and wolfs a few down before continuing his investigation. There are a few torches, and finally a book. One that makes him feel sick. He grabs the torches out, placing them in the corners of his new home. Then he looks around, trying to see if he can spot anything familiar. With nothing in sight he decides to return to the thing he's dreading, the book. "Okay..." He takes in a deep breath, then opens the chest again. He pulls out the book, then opens it. As he flips through the pages he feels his stomach churning. Indeed, this book was written by LividCoffee, and writer rarely makes reference to themselves until the last few pages. "They've all fallen for my little trick. They'll never realize I did this. No, even if they realize it'll be too late. Precious little Kim was the first, but I'll need to decide who's next. I need power from just about everyone if I'm going to reach new worlds. Besides, I want to see how they taste..." He drops the book, feeling sick to the core. "Lalnable... H-He's out there. Somehow..." He mind wanders to the possibilities as he sits next to a torch, his eyes locked on the book that can do nothing but condemn him for a crime he would never commit.


	5. Chapter 5

Duncan isn't left sitting alone for as long this time, as at day break the next day Lewis, Sjin, and Smiffy arrive. Duncan doesn't notice as they approach though, his eyes heavy from lack of sleep.

"Duncan." Duncan jumps and looks up and back, through one of the glass windows behind him.

"Guys!" He jumps to his feet, spinning around as he does so. "What's up? Can I go ho..." He stops as a shiver runs down his spine at the thought of returning to the place where Kim was killed. "C-can I get out of here?" They look at each other, but finally Lewis lets out a long sigh.

"Yeah..." A pickaxe appears in his hand and he gets started on a block of obsidian.

"You don't sound too happy about it." Duncan says as he breaks the piece of glass above the obsidian Lewis is getting.

"Hannah's gone missing." Sjin says. Duncan looks shocked, but he quickly realizes who must be hurting the most here. He looks to Lewis who concentrating on his work, trying to ignore the conversation. But still, it's not too hard to see as he bites his lip and his grip tightens on his pick.

"I'm so sorry." The words tumble out of Duncan's mouth. He wants to say something more, but he can't think of anything worthy of saying.

"We figure it can't be you if more people have disappeared." Smiffy says, though his voice is even more somber than Duncan expected.

"Smiffy?" Duncan looks questioningly at his friend.

"Hannah isn't the only one to go missing." Sjin finally says, his voice getting quieter. "Ross..."

"Oh no." Hopelessness is all there is now. Duncan feels weak in the knees as he realizes the true gravity of the situation. Kim is dead, and at least two others are missing. Likely they aren't around anymore either. Finally Lewis finishes and Duncan is able to walk free. He opens his mouth to make a comment about freedom, but as he looks at his friends he decides against such frivolous and joy filled words. They aren't going to do any good here. "So, what now?"

"We find Lalnable." Lewis says as his pick disappears.

"What happened with the labs?"

"He escaped a long time ago. All the testificates are dead."

"Oh my..." Duncan doesn't know how to respond. It goes quiet for a few moments. "We'll get him. We won't let him get away." Duncan says, though his voice isn't all that reassuring.

"Let's just go. We'll meet up with the others later. Sjin..."

"I know." Sjin holds up his hand and this time Duncan is able to watch as Smiffy is hit with the magic spell and teleported away. His body is instantly overtaken by the colorful spell, and then he's gone a mere moment later. Sjin then aims the spell at Duncan, and he's transported away. He finds himself reappearing in Hat Films' base.

"You're back!" Trottimus runs down some steps towards them as Lewis joins the group.

"Yeah. We got Duncan." Smiffy says as Lewis opens his chat window and types in a few words. Sjin is then teleported to their location, and Lewis' window closes.

"What do we do now?" Trott asks Lewis.

"I don't know exactly. Have you gotten a hold of everyone?"

"Everyone but Zoey." Trott says as Sjin starts looking around the base. He watches Sjin suspiciously, and this small bit of normalcy feels calming, even cheerful to Duncan. "Simon went to go get her. I think she has distance limiters on the chat so I couldn't get her."

"That's fine, as long as she's alright." Lewis starts walking. "I need some time. Let me know when everyone's here." He opens a window and shuts off all his chats. No one can hear him now as he starts shouting.

"This Lalnable is really bad." Trott says as he watches Lewis go. "Kim, Hannah, Ross..." His voice trails off, leaving the room with a silence that only deserves to be filled with the tears these losses deserve.

"Uh, h-hey. Why don't we take a look around your base?" Duncan suggests as he forces a smile. "I mean, there isn't much to do until the others get here."

"Yeah. I guess we could do that." Trott says.

"Careful, they just want to learn our secrets." Smiffy says, a half smirk on his face. Quickly the mood begins to brighten as the men start to walk, making jokes and fighting over Hat Corp vs Flux Buddies superiority, forcing their topics to never stray to loved ones who has so suddenly vanished from their world.


	6. Chapter 6

When Simon walks into Hat Corp with Zoey they find all the other yogs are already there, waiting for them. Some are simply standing, lost in their thoughts, others are chatting, and some are running around, refusing to let their moods be damaged by the dangers they're facing. Lewis is sitting on some stairs, watching his hands as he traces them out.

"Hello!" Simon shouts, surprising everyone.

"Simon! Zoey!" Martyn smiles.

"Thank goodness we're all here still." Turps says.

"Okay..." Everyone turns their attention to Lewis, who has opened his screen to turn on all chats. Once the screen has closed he stands up and looks around the room. "In case anyone doesn't know, here is our situation. Kim disappeared just over a week ago. She had been with Hannah, but went to join Duncan for their Flux Buddies work. She was only with him for a few minutes before she vanished. We found her a few days later, but it was only her arm and an incriminating notebook under Panda Labs, implicating Duncan." Many eyes wander to Duncan, making him feel uncomfortable. "We locked him away for a few days, but in that time Hannah and Ross also disappeared." The eyes turn away from Duncan and back to Lewis, making Duncan sigh with relief. "We're only left with one option, the culprit is a clone we thought we had destroyed, Lalnable Hector." At the sound of the name the room goes cold. "Lalnable is a killer, but whatever he's doing to his victims is more dangerous than hitting them with some random sword. Somehow he's stealing their souls, making them unable to respawn." The worried whispers begin. "I read through a journal Lalnable left behind. Simply, he's using our souls as power to be able to visit other worlds." The whispers grow louder.

"Other worlds?" Duncan asks. He had looked at the journal, but he was too horrified to read through it properly. "You mean, like when when we go do adventures and have to create a sub-world?"

"Yeah, like that." Lewis nods. "But it sounded like he was going to do more than just make a sub-world. If he wanted to go somewhere like that then he wouldn't have to steal souls. Any of us can create and go to other sub-worlds."

"Then what?" Duncan persists.

"I don't know." Lewis shakes his head. "Maybe he wants to break into the worlds and sub-worlds of other people. He might even be trying to leave Minecraftia altogether and break into other universes and their sub-worlds."

"Is that even possible?" Nilesy asks.

"I'd say no, but he might not." Lewis sighs. "Listen, we've already lost three people. I..." He pauses, but after a moment he grits his teeth and continues. "I want to find Lalnable and make sure we keep him from harming anyone else. That means we'll need to lay down some rules." A checklist appears in his hand and he looks at it. "For one, we can't have anyone wandering around by themselves. When Kim was taken she was just outside a testificate house that Duncan was in. Hannah disappeared on her own in the forest, and Ross disappeared when he heard her scream and went to help, since he happened to be nearby. Clearly we don't have to wander far to be in danger, so please, don't be alone." Lewis looks up at everyone. "We didn't get all the scientific details on how he extracts souls or how he kidnaps people without anyone being able to fight back. I don't think he's prepared to take on multiple people at once though."

"So we just need to get into pairs or more for now, right?" Simon asks.

"That's the first step. But remember, if you're in a group of three then you have to all go around together, or leave your odd person out with another group if you want to go somewhere." Lewis reminds. Everyone starts splitting up and standing with their chosen partners. Simon and Lewis stand together, as do Sips and Sjin, and Smiff and Trott. Duncan looks around, watching as the others get into groups, almost no arguing involved. He finally decides to walk over to Lewis and Simon.

"Mine if I join you guys?" He asks.

"Course not buddy!" Simon smiles, making Duncan smile as well.

"Thanks." Once all the groups have been organized the room calms down, allowing Lewis to talk again.

"Alright, now I think it'd be best if we all stayed together. That's why I wanted everyone to come to Hat Corp."

"What! You want to have a giant slumber party in our base?" Trott shouts. The smiles, smirks, and surprised reactions to the shouting make Duncan smile more. There is tragedy, but his friends are still strong, and they're still themselves.

"Yes. We're going to have a giant slumber party in your base. We should all get some beds down and make sure we reset our spawns here." Lewis says as he taps a spot on his checklist, checking off a box. "If anything happens we'll want to come back here rather than be stuck way off somewhere else all alone. We should also make sure there is always at least one group here at base." He looks around. "I know everyone may think they want to go off all at once, but if someone does die then we don't want them to be stuck alone here either. Lalnable may stake this place out and take victims from people who die and wind up here alone."

"So is it going to be one group, or just whoever winds up being the last to go out on a given day have to stay here?" Ridge asks.

"I think we should set a group each day." Lewis says. "I'll make a list and we'll just repeat it in a cycle until this is over." He continues on, going over basic do's and don'ts. Of course, many of these are the basic rules that would allow people in horror films to survive. The meeting goes on for a while, but once it's finally over all but Hat Films and SLD head out to gather supplies they want from their respective homes. The two groups get to work setting up the base, making beds for all the members. Well, everyone but Lewis. He gets to work making a few lists for everyone's reference.

"So, if we're going up against a Duncan clone then what happens if they're both in the same room?" Trott asks as Duncan sets down another bed.

"I've never known Lalnable to not have blood on him." Lewis says as he puts down a chest, then opens it.

"But he could just clean himself up, couldn't he?" Smiffy asks.

"He could." Lewis closes the chest, then puts a sign next to it and starts writing on it. "If that happens then I guess we'll have to kill both of them."

"Lewis!" Duncan shouts, making Lewis smile slightly.

"We could capture both of them. We could also have a secret code." Lewis suggests.

"I like that! A secret code." Simon starts to think. "What should it be?"

"It could..." Duncan starts, but he suddenly stops. "Wait... Sjin's magic police..." Duncan jumps to his feet. "Guys! You all know that the magic police was Sjin and I, right?" Duncan asks.

"Yeah. Sort of." Trott says.

"But that Duncan wasn't me." Duncan frowns. "I thought it may be a random clone that was animated by itself from yoglabs..." His voice trails off, but the group understands. Lewis opens his chat and clicks on Sips and Sjin's names.

"Guys! Hey!" He pauses. "Yeah, it's me. Listen, don't go back to the Magic Police or to Sjin's farm! The Duncan Sjin was work with may have been Lalnable!" The group feels tense as Lewis talks. None of them can hear the other end of the conversation.

"Do you really think that other Duncan was Lalnable?" Simon asks. "I mean... I thought you were just participating in two things like Sjin and Lewis were."

"It wasn't me. There was even a big fight where we were both there." Duncan runs his fingers over his face. "Besides, that Duncan wasn't covered in flux. If he wants to look like me all he has to do is paint his skin purple in a few spots though. It's too easy to replicate for you to tell us apart by it."

"This is pretty bad. So Sjin spent all this time with Lalnable and... Wait, why wasn't Sjin taken?"

"Too obvious maybe?" Duncan frowns. "Maybe we should ask Sjin what happened during the time Kim was missing. If he did anything with the other Duncan than he might have a clue as to what he's up to now."

"Sounds like a plan!" Smiffy says proudly as he jumps onto the bed Duncan was sitting on before.

"Okay, get back here soon." Lewis says before closing his chat with Sjin and Sips. He then looks to the others. "They're just going to get some cheat police stuff and come back. We can talk to Sjin when they get here, because I do think he mentioned something about doing some magic with Duncan during that search for Kim."

"But I was searching almost exclusively by myself." Duncan says.

"So it may have been Lalnable." Lewis sighs angrily as he rubs his forehead. "I can't believe this."

"There isn't any way it could have been some other clone, right?" Trott asks.

"No. Clones don't move on their own." Lewis says. "Lalnable was an exception. We had hoped to study him to find out why he worked without Duncan's soul, but we couldn't figure it out. He couldn't use clones, so I don't know if he even has a soul of his own."

"So if we kill him then he might really die." Simon says.

"He might. But we never killed him, so I don't know. He might respawn somehow. For now, lets just make sure we keep everyone safe and stick to our plans. We'll talk with Sjin, then figure out what to do from there." He walks over to a bed and sits down.

"We've got this guys." Simon says, trying to keep the mood light. "We'll get through this, don't worry." Duncan looks to Simon, then looks around at the empty beds, waiting for the return of the others.

"I hope."


	7. Chapter 7

It feels like an eternity passes before Sjin and Sips finally return to Hat Corp. However, when they walk in a wave of relief washes over the waiting yogs.

"I'm glad you made it back alright." Lewis says as Sjin and Sips walk up to the group.

"Yeah, well, we didn't run into any trouble or anything." Sjin says.

"So do you really think Sjin was working with this Lalnable guy?" Sips asks.

"We do." Duncan frowns. "It certainly wasn't me." Sjin looks heartbroken as he's forced to face the truth. He really was working with the killer.

"Sjin, do you have anything you could tell us?" Lewis asks. "Did you guys have a secret hideout that Lalnable might be at?"

"Well..." Sjin tries to think. "I don't really know. I mean... I think I did seem him once during all this."

"You did?" Duncan walks closer to Sjin.

"Well, yeah. I went back to the Magic Police headquarters and Duncan, I mean Lalnable, was there. I thought..." Sjin sighs. Everyone can see how hurt he feels. He had a friend he worked hard with, and this friend was nothing but a lie. "He was going through some of our chests when I got there. I was really surprised because I thought Duncan was out searching for Kim. When I asked him what he was doing he looked surprised to see me. Then he said he wanted to see if he could find some sort of spell or craft something that could help find Kim. I didn't think it was weird so I just went to get what I wanted then left."

"Was that the only time you saw him during all that?" Duncan asks.

"Yeah. That's it. At least, that I know of."

"So he's still using magic probably." Lewis starts talking, but he stops, a thought striking him. "Why would Lalnable be surprised to see you at your own base?"

"I don't know." Sjin frowns.

"What were you doing before that?" Lewis persists. Everyone looks around at each other, wondering where Lewis is going with this.

"Well, I was searching with Duncan for a little while, then I went to help Simon look underground near the village. But I realized I left some of the spells I wanted back at the headquarters, so I went to go get them."

"So the last thing you probably told Duncan before closing chat with him was that you were going to help Simon look, right?" Lewis asks.

"Yeah, probably." Sjin nods.

"Everyone, put Duncan on the shortest chatline distance you can." Lewis says.

"What? Why?" Smiffy asks.

"Because Lalnable clearly is operating on the same lines as Duncan." Lewis opens his own chat and holds down Duncan's name. Two bars appear with a small square on the far right of each. He slides the square on the bottom bar all the way to the left, then closes the window. "He has his Minecraft name, right? So why wouldn't he be able to hear what someone else is saying to Duncan? If our chats go through our world names then that means he might be able to hear anyone that Duncan can hear."

"Wait, so wouldn't he have heard everything when I was doing work with you guys or Kim?" Duncan asks.

"He probably did. But you can edit what you hear too, remember?" Lewis looks at his window with the names. "He might have turned his hearing on others down to distance or a very low volume so they didn't disrupt what he was doing." Finally everyone begins to open their chats and change their range for speaking with Duncan.

"So he may know just about everything about me and what we've all been doing?"

"Yes." Lewis groans as he rubs his forehead. "A lot of what we talked about and did is recorded for others to watch in their own worlds and universes, but there are of course things that weren't. That means he may know things that he really shouldn't, and that secret code we made is already worthless."

"Even if we drop the distance down, if he finds a way to sneak close enough he might still hear." Simon says.

"That's true. Ahhh!" Lewis turns around. "What are we going to do? We can't be sure our Duncan is our Duncan if he isn't in someone's line of sight all the time."

"That also means we can't have Duncan be alone with anyone." Trott says, making eyes turn to him. "If Lalnable does switch out with Duncan then whoever Duncan was alone with would be in danger."

"Why me?" Duncan walks to a bed and falls into it, his misery only growing. "I didn't want Lalnable to be created. I didn't want anyone to get hurt. Why..." Everyone watches Duncan for a few moments, but they all quickly turn their attention away, uncomfortable with the sight before them.

"Alright. We'll just have to make sure to take extra caution." Lewis says as he turns back to the group. "For now he's with Simon and I, so that should be fine. When the others get back I might want to take a group to check out Magic Police. Lalnable might have gone back there. When that happens I'll switch with Sips so he stays here with Simon and Duncan."

"Fine with me." Sips says as he walks to a bed and sits on it.

"Great. Now, just..." Lewis takes in a deep breath, then lets it out. "For now lets relax. We should be safe here."

"Agreed." Simon smiles. "Now that we've got that out of the way, why don't we play a game?"

"What game would that be?" Trott asks.

"I don't know." Simon shrugs. "I was hoping someone else would have an idea." He smiles innocently, making the others smile and laugh lightly. Duncan looks up and watches his friends laugh and chat. They're fighting to stay happy, but it just doesn't reach him. He buries his face in the pillow, wondering how he could fix the problem of his clone.


	8. Chapter 8

Once everyone returns they wait until night to sleep in their beds. With almost of his friends tucked away Duncan sits up, looking around. Smiff and Trott are the only ones awake, they're taking patrol for the night. It's quiet, and peacefulness of the night gently covers over the tension and stress that's been building for so long. Duncan feels his shoulders relax, and he lets out a long sigh before yawning.

"You alright there?" Trott asks.

"Yeah." Duncan nods. "Just, you know, a bit tired, a bit stressed."

"Well just relax for now." Smiffy smiles. "We'll get this taken care of, don't you worry."

"Rule number 107 of Hat Corp, never worry, someone else will fix the problem." Trott says, making Smiffy laugh. Duncan chuckles.

"Right... Thanks guys."

"Nothing to worry about. Just get some rest." Smiffy waves Duncan's comment away, making Duncan shake his head as he lies back down. He pulls his blanket up a little further as he curls up on his side, his eyelids gently coming to a close. The quiet begins to envelop Duncan, and sleep slowly begins to wisk him away...

"Duncan? Aren't you... AHH! SMIFFY!" Duncan sits up just in time to see Trott drop to the floor by the front door, while Smiffy runs from the stairs, sword in hand.

"TROTT!" Smiffy charges a shadowy figure holding a strange glass jar with a light inside. The shadow begins to run out the door, Smiffy chasing. As Duncan's mind starts to catch up, and other yogs begin to stir from their sleep, the danger of the situation begins to sink in.

"Smiffy! Don't!" Duncan shouts as he leaps from his bed. He starts running after Smiffy, sword in hand, though he pauses for a moment to look at Trott's body. He bites his lip and continues on. "Smiffy!"

"Duncan! Don't come here!" Smiffy shouts. Duncan spins around, looking for some sign of his friend. "Get back here! Give me back my friends!" The voice is coming from the right. Duncan starts to run to it.

"Duncan!" He stops and looks back to see Lewis, Simon, and Turps are all at the door.

"Lalnable got Trott! Smiffy chased after him so he's in danger!" Duncan shouts.

"Don't go alone!" The three start to follow, but Lewis looks at Turps. "Turps! Stay here and get everyone up! We need them to be prepared in case Lalnable comes back!"

"Right!" Turps runs back inside, and then the three remaining men chase after Smiffy's voice.

"Smiffy! Where are you? What's going on?" Lewis shouts.

"I'm chasing him! He has Trott's soul!" Smiffy shouts back.

"We're coming! Don't do anything stupid! We don't need to lose you too!"

"I've got to get them back! He took both of my best friends!"

"Smiffy! Calm down!" The two go back and forth, but Duncan hardly hears them over the sound of his own heart pounding in his chest. The beating is deafening as the thought of finding his killer clone consumes him.

"Duncan." Duncan snaps out of his trance and looks at Simon. "We've got this buddy. Chin up." Simon's certain smile makes Duncan relax a little.

"Right." He smiles back, then looks around.

"I've almost got him! Get over here you..." Suddenly Smiffy's voice cuts out.

"Smiffy? Smiffy!" Lewis shouts.

"Smiffy!" Duncan and Simon echo. No one responds.

"Oh no..." Duncan heart begins to race even more. His mind overtaken by fear. Finally they break through some trees to find Smiffy, or rather, Smiffy's body. The corpse lies there, a single torch highlighting where the green man had fallen. "Smiffy!" Duncan drops to his knees, tears streaming down his face before he can even attempt to stop them. Lewis and Simon stand there, unable to speak, unable to move. Seconds ago their friend was shouting and cursing at an enemy, but he couldn't overcome, and they were too late to save him, to save anyone. "Why!?" Duncan screams as he slams his fist on the ground. He knows now, Lalnable is winning. They may not survive, despite all the precautions, all the work, all the hope, they've fallen prey again to the madman, and this isn't likely to be the last time. "Why...?" Duncan bites his lip, trying to hold himself back from sobbing as he looks at his fallen comrade. "Trott... Smiffy..."


	9. Chapter 9

"We have to go now! If we wait any longer he might kill again." Turps says to Lewis as the other yogs look on.

"It's still night time Turps. If we go out in the dark he could catch us by surprise." Lewis responds.

"But by the time we reach the police thing it should be daylight. Lewis, he just came in here, with all of us around, and killed Trott! Then he got Smiffy!"

"I know." Lewis sighs. "It's dangerous no matter what we do."

"Then lets actually do something productive." Lewis looks at the others. When he, Simon, and Duncan had returned with Smiffy's body they were all distraught. It took some time for them to calm down. Now they seem to be enraged. Once again they've lost friends. Once again they've been made fools of. They want this to end. Lewis' eyes stop on Duncan. He's sitting on his bed, eyes downcast, hands gripping the bed so tightly it looks like he might rip it apart.

"I..." Lewis pauses, then sighs. "Alright. We'll take a group over to the farm and get people through the portal."

"What if he's on the other side?" Zoey asks.

"We'll just have to be careful and quick." Lewis responds. "Sjin, do you have anything we can use to help protect us?"

"Not much mate." Sjin shakes his head. "I left a lot of my spells back at the headquarters."

"We'll need to be extra cautious then. The Magic Police had some potent stuff."

"Like that starfall one." Something clicks in Sjin's mind. "Wait! We can't get close to him if we're gonna try and kill him!"

"Why?" Turps asks.

"He has a spell that'll blind you and entangle you for, like, two minutes. It's basically a death sentence now. But it doesn't work all that well from far away."

"Then we'll want bows and arrows, or guns. Long range weapons are best." Lewis states.

"Go get ready then! Go on!" Simon shouts. With that the members that are going head to the various chests they've set by their beds to pull out what they want and need for the upcoming battle. Those that aren't going stay together in a group. Sips, Zoey, Simon, and Martyn make their way over to Duncan.

"Hey buddy. How you doing?" Simon asks. Duncan looks up at him and forces a smile.

"I'll be alright if everyone comes back safe."

"This isn't your fault." Martyn says.

"I know." Duncan stands, but he doesn't look anyone in the eye.

"Come on Duncan. Smile a bit." Zoey says cheerfully.

"I'd rather not." He looks over at the others as they prepare for war.

"You know, I wonder how Lalnable respawns without a soul." Martyn says. The others look at him.

"What do you mean?" Sips asks.

"Well, think about it. He has to have died a ton already, but he's still around." Martyn frowns. "We all know your soul is what causes a respawn in any universe, but he probably doesn't have one since he's a clone. The real Duncan is still holding onto his, so I don't think Lalnable has one."

"That's a good point." Simon says as he looks up at the others.

"So what do you think is going on?" Sips asks. "I don't think you can actually make a soul."

"I don't think so either." Martyn says. "I don't have a clue. I don't know how he's even moving on his own without one, so I could be wrong."

"Maybe we'll find out if they can catch him instead of killing him." Simon looks to the group as they gather at the front door.

"I don't think it matters too much." Duncan says quietly. He finally looks up at his friends. "Yoglabs isn't even operational right now, and when it gets back up and running I think Lewis'll be more leery of playing with clones."

"Probably. Then again it isn't like Lewis to act rationally when it comes to world domination." Simon says with a smile.

"Okay, we're going." Lewis says to those staying behind.

"Be careful! Don't die!" Simon says with a big smile as he waves. The others laugh lightly, but all of them feel the weight of those words. They then take off, heading to Sjin's farm.

"I hope they'll be alright." Zoey says worriedly.

"They'll be fine. Just believe." Martyn smiles at Zoey.

"Martyn's right." Sips says. "Well, now that we're alone what should we do?"

"Why don't we tell ghost stories and eat marshmallows?" Simon suggests. The others laugh, except for Duncan. Simon notices this, and he lightly smacks Duncan's back. "Cheer up! They'll be alright. You'll see."

"Right." Duncan half smiles. "Just... You know... It's hard not to worry. We've lost so many people already."

"We'll get them back. I know we will, somehow." Simon looks at the entrance where the others disappeared. "Everyone will come back, we'll find a way to revive those that had died, and we'll throw a big party. Just you see." Even Simon's normally cheerful and hopeful attitude has begun to diminish. The others look towards the entrance as well, their hopes high, but they can't help but expect the worst.


	10. Chapter 10

Time seems to drag on as the small group awaits the return of the attacking party. Still, they keep themselves entertained by running around, talking about some adventures of the past, and even having racing and building contests. Even Duncan begins to feel himself cheering up, the influence of his friends too great to ignore. However, as the next night approaches the group, which was having running running around together outside, finds themselves drifting back towards their shelter.

"Has anyone contacted you guys?" Duncan asks as he walks through the door.

"No." Simon shakes his head.

"Not me." Zoey states.

"Me either." Martyn and Sips echo.

"It's been too long." Duncan opens his chat window, but hesitates. "Lalnable will hear if I try to talk with them. One of you guys should do it."

"Right." Simon opens his screen and clicks on Lewis' name. "Lewis? You hear me buddy?" The other four watch Simon, hoping for good news. "Why haven't you come back yet?" They all sigh with relief. Lewis is still there, still alive. "Right. We'll let us know if you need us." He clicks on Lewis' name again, then looks at the others. "He said that they're investigating the area. Lalnable isn't around, but he might have a secret base since he spent so much time there. They just lost track of time."

"Thank goodness." Duncan wipes the sweat off his forehead. "I was really worried there."

"Nothing to worry about!" Martyn smiles. "They'll be fine, we told you that."

"I know." Duncan yawns. "Well, we should get some sleep then. Whose gonna take watch?" Duncan asks, but he quickly regrets it as the memories of last night fill his mind. "I..." He starts to speak, but he doesn't know what he wants to say. The others watch him, their own worries becoming apparent.

"Duncan, you go to sleep." Simon says. "We'll figure out who else will sleep later, but its best if you're in bed. Even if Lalnable shows up we'll be sure he isn't you."

"Okay..." Duncan nods as he sits on his bed. The others look at each other, then they suddenly begin playing rock, paper, scissors, making him laugh. "You guys..." Duncan finally lies down, feeling more at ease. The play today has finally calmed his mind, and he's more grateful now for his friends than he ever has been. His eyes slowly close as the excited sounds of rock, paper, scissors ring through Hat Corp.

"Hello?" Duncan opens his eyes a bit. The laughter and teasing has stopped, leaving only Simon's voice. He looks over to see Simon's screen opened, Lewis' name highlighted. "Lewis? Hello?" Duncan sits up, the tension in the room suddenly unbearable. "Lewis! Thank goodness! You had me..." Simon starts with a smile, but it's instantly wiped away. "Lewis!"

"Simon! What's going on?" Duncan asks.

"L-Lewis?" Dread fills everyone. They know, things have gone wrong. Suddenly Simon is clicking on every name, trying to find someone who'll respond. "Guys! Hello? Answer me! Please!"

"He can't have caught them all!" Martyn shouts. "That's... That has to be impossible!"

"Not if they split up." Duncan stands. What he feels now is different from the gloom that's been haunting him. He clenches his fists. "If they had split into groups then Lalnable could have picked off each group before finally getting to Lewis. That call... He was warning us." All the despair filled eyes are trained on Duncan. His aren't filled with despair though. "Lalnable is coming."

"Wha..." Zoey tries to speak, but her voice catches in her throat.

"He got everyone else, that's how it looks anyways." Simon quietly says. Duncan looks at Simon, and the two men hold each others gaze for a few moments. Finally Simon's fear melts away, and he shares the same look as Duncan. "Thanks man." Duncan nods.

"Guys, we've just been sitting here this whole time." Duncan says as he looks to the other three. "I... I've been moping around, blaming myself. But I know that won't fix anything. Moping and crying will just get us killed." The others look surprised as Duncan's change in demeanor. "We can't stop Lalnable from coming, but we can prepare." He looks to Simon again. "Simon, did Lewis give you any details? Where he was, what happened? Anything that could help?"

"No." Simon shakes his head. "But they weren't far from the Magic Police headquarters."

"I don't remember those coordinates." Duncan sighs. "I think it's miles away though."

"But I think Sjin left his portal key." Martyn says.

"I'm wondering why we can't TP over there." Sips says as he pulls up a type box. "I mean, if we TP to someone we'll either get their body or soul. Either way we'll be closer to Lalnable."

"It doesn't work." Duncan says. "I tried that before when Kim disappeared, and so did Lewis. We couldn't get to her. It might be because the soul and body are separated that it won't work. You can't TP to someone who isn't spawned in after all."

"Then..." Martyn starts to say something, but he shakes his head. "Never mind. We should get to work."

"Right." Duncan looks to Simon again. "We'll want to gear up, and we shouldn't split up either. Lalnable is getting brave, so he'll probably attack the whole group anyways. But we'll still outnumber him, so we'll stand the best chance if we're all together."

"If we can capture him that'd be best." Simon says. "We can find out where our friends are."

"They're probably in his lair. I'm willing to bed one of the groups got close at least." Duncan says. "Simon, I know you said Lewis didn't tell you much, but what did he say when he called you just now?"

"He called in shouting 'Simon! I'm here!'" The light goes on for Simon. "He must have found the lab!"

"Yeah, he probably did. That might be why he was last. Lalnable knew he could get Lewis any time because Lewis was right where he wanted him to be. But the others were spread out further, so he had to chase them down." Duncan opens his chest and pulls out his wand and some of his other items. He then looks up and shoots a lightning bolt up at the ceiling before looking back at the others. "Guys, I know I've been really depressed, but you all cheered me up and made me realize I can't just sit here like I have been. He has our friends, and I don't want to lose anyone else. So I'm prepared to fight back."

"Me too!" Simon raises a diamond sword into the air. "Lets go get him!"

"Yeah!"

"Alright!"

"Sure, why not?" Sips' response makes everyone laugh. Finally, the fear and despair filled atmosphere has changed. The room is now filled with hope and determination. However, as Duncan and begins searching through other's chests for helpful items he feels a third emotion holding onto his heart.

"I'll kill you Lalnable." He whispers to himself. "I'll save them, and I'll make you pay."


	11. Chapter 11

The group gets geared up in armor and prepares whatever weapons they can find. Then they wait. They simply wait. The night seems never ending as they jump and shout at every odd noise or motion. Duncan and Simon are the most composed, but the two men are the only ones of the group to truly steel themselves against the dangers and possibilities that lie ahead.

"Duncan, when do you think he'll get here?" Martyn asks.

"I'm guessing he wanted to deal with his stolen souls, so whatever he's doing would have taken some time. Still, he's probably here already." Duncan sighs. "He's just waiting." Martyn glances around.

"Say, Duncan, why don't you hear what's happening with Lalnable?" Simon asks.

"Huh?" Duncan frowns. "I... Hadn't thought about that. I don't know." He opens his chat window and looks at it. "I guess he could put his hearing down to a short distance...? I don't know." He scrolls through the list of names. "It'd be helpful to know that, wouldn't it?"

"Probably." Simon says. "I mean, if we can't figure it out then we could just stop talking to you mate." Simon's smiles. Duncan attempts to shoot him a dirty look, but he can't help smiling himself.

"I guess we'll just have to wait for now." Duncan looks around. "We'll make him come to us. If he really is anything like me then I don't think he'll be patient for too long."

"He won't be all that much like you." Zoey says.

"Yeah. You aren't a crazy murderer." Sips adds.

"Although I have invested a lot of time in nukes and very dangerous weapons and magic." Duncan points out.

"Okay, so you're a bit of a psycho. That doesn't make you a crazy murderer though." Duncan shakes his head, chuckling lightly. He looks around the room, memories if his adventures gone wrong filling his mind.

"You know, I never thought that I'd see this place as anything other than my enemies base. I mean, Hat Films fought with Kim and I so much." He sighs.

"Well, once we save everyone then you can go back to killing each other and blowing up the world." Zoey says with a smile.

"Yeah. That'll be fun." He walks around some of the beds, thinking about each of the people that once occupied them. Suddenly something hits him and he takes damage. "Ow!" Duncan spins around, looking for what could have attacked him. "Who hit me?" He asks, seeing nothing around him that could be the culprit.

"No one." Martyn says. Duncan starts to open his mouth, but suddenly a chill runs down his spine. There isn't any monsters or other people around who could have hurt him, except one possibility. Suddenly he's hit again.

"He's here!" Duncan says as he spins around again, trying to figure out where his attacker is. He grips his sword tightly, but he can't see where someone could be shooting him from.

"Come out you coward!" Simon shouts after watching Duncan get shot a third time.

"I'd rather not. You're a bit scary Simon." Now everyone is looking around, the voice not coming from anywhere in particular, unnerving them even more. What bothers Duncan though isn't that he can't locate the assailant, but that the voice is a perfect match to his.

"Well get out here anyways and die like a man!" Simon shouts.

"Again, I'd rather not." Now Simon is getting shot, then Martyn, then Sips, then Zoey. "This is definitely more fun than getting stabbed by a dwarf." Duncan stops, then looks up at the Hat Films head. He doesn't see anyone up there, but he sees a couple blocks are missing out of each of the faces. He gets his needle gun out and shoots into the block. When a damage counter pops up he smirks.

"Found you."

"That wasn't nice." Duncan flies up in his jet pack and spots a portal through one of the holes. He places a couple blocks in front of the portal, know it won't do him much good to follow after Lalnable. Instead he drops back down to his friends.

"He took off." Duncan says.

"He'll have to come to us sooner or later." Martyn says. "If he could get our souls from long ran standing here now."

"You're right. We just need to relax and wait for him." Sips adds. "He's getting impatient already if he's coming at us now."

"Yeah." Duncan says, but his mind is elsewhere. Lalnable isn't the only one losing patience.

"Looks like the sun is finally coming up." Simon says as he opens a door and peaks outside. He quickly shuts it, then looks at the others. "Maybe we should go somewhere more open?"

"That way Lalnable can't sneak up on us like that again." Martyn nods. "Sounds like a plan."

"We should just stay here." Duncan says.

"What? Why?" Sips asks.

"I think he wants us to move." Duncan glances up at the head, making sure he doesn't see anyone up there. "If it was easy for him to get us right now then he'd have done it. Last time he didn't have to worry about much of anyone getting in his way, but now we're all on alert and we're all armed. He's stuck, and he wants us somewhere easier to access."

"But wouldn't somewhere open be harder to get us?" Zoey asks.

"It's easier for everyone to move around, including him. The only way he can't sneak up on us from underneath would be if we build a platform of some sort, but that makes it easier for him to trap us or pick us off and kill us so he can get us one on one. Here we can get away from him easier. If he tries to break in through the floor we'll have more notice than if he was breaking through a block of dirt. Just... I don't think it's easier on us if we go somewhere else.

"That does sound kind of reasonable." Martyn admits.

"Sorry, just..." Duncan shakes his head. "I'm trying to think about what I'd want, and I'd want to move everyone to an environment I can control better. I don't want us falling for any of his traps."

"We get it Duncan, don't worry about it." Sips says as he slaps Duncan on the back, making him stumble forward a few steps, and take a point in damage. "We're in this together!"

"Duncan, maybe you should try a bit harder to think about what you'd want to do if you were the bad guy here." Simon says. "It'd be helpful to have at least a general idea of what he'll do next."

"You're right." Duncan sits down on a bed. "I'll think about that and what we should do about it."

"Good. And in the meantime, who wants to play rock, paper, kill Sips?" Simon asks.

"I do! Wait..." Sips frowns, and the others laugh. Duncan smiles slightly, but most of his thoughts are centered on Lalnable.

"What would I do... Where would I go..."


	12. Chapter 12

Zoey is curled up on a bed, sleeping as night creeps over the group. The room is lit up, with torches everywhere. Simon, Martyn, and Sips are playing a game Duncan was forced to build where they flip switches and hope that their switch doesn't drop one of the two pieces of gravel. Duncan is sitting on a bed, watching the guys play. He wants to join, but it'd be unfair since he knows which switches do what each round.

"I'm still amazed I got it to work." He chuckles to himself, then looks around the room. Nothing has changed, there's no sign of Lalnable. "I wonder how long it'll be until he shows up again." He asks himself. A sudden chorus of shouts and cheers alerts him that this round of the game is over.

"Duncan! This game is great!" Sips says as he flips the last switch, moving a piston that has nothing about it.

"Thanks." He walks over and flips all the switches, putting the pistons back in an outward position, then he grabs up the two gravels with a shovel and places them on two random pistons. "Geeze." He looks at the wires and groans at the idea of having to rearrange everything again for so many switches.

"I wonder when Lalnable is gonna come back." Martyn says as Duncan gets to work.

"Who knows." Simon pulls a carrot out of his inventory and munches on it. "He hasn't been around all day, so maybe he's building some crazy machine that'll blow up since he's a Duncan clone."

"Hey! Not all of my machines blow up!" Duncan says as he glares at Simon. Martyn and Sips laugh.

"Well, at least..." Sips starts to speak, but suddenly something falls behind him. Before anyone can react Sips' face contorts into a pained grimace, and then with a painful scream he drops to the floor, revealing Lalnable behind him, holding what looks like a purple crystal ball. Duncan tries to move, but he's struck by the image in front of him. This Lalnable sounded exactly like him, and he looks exactly like him. He even painted himself to look just as fluxed as Duncan. They truly are the same, and its horrifying.

"Sips!" Simon and Martyn shout. Lalnable then turns and starts running as Simon and Martyn give chase with their weapons.

"G-guys!" Duncan shouts as he recovers from the shock. "Stop!" It's no use. They've taken off, and with what they just saw neither man is ready to give up on taking down this threat. He starts to run after them.

"Duncan!" He spins around to see Zoey, who had just gotten out of bed, staring at the figure of Lalnable as he recovers from a fall from the ceiling.

"Zoey!" Duncan shouts as his sword appears in his hand. He runs to Zoey, but she drops to the floor, lifeless, before he can reach her. "Zoey!" He feels tears fight to be freed, but Duncan keeps them back as he runs at Lalnable.

"Not so fast!" Lalnable dodges the attack. "No need to be rash!" His smile only works to enrage Duncan even more.

"Give them back!" Duncan shouts.

"Duncan! Is he with you?" Simon shouts.

"Yeah!" He replies as he swings at Lalnable, though he again misses. The ball Lalnable is holding disappears, and he replaces it with a sword of his own.

"Come on Duncan, you don't want to kill yourself." Lalnable says as he blocks a strike. "That's really quite bad. You should see a therapist if that's what you're thinking of doing." Duncan continues his attack, pushing Lalnable further and further back.

"Duncan!" Simon and Martyn run back into the room, but they find themselves completely lost as to which Duncan is which.

"Guys! Kill him!" Duncan shouts.

"No! He's trying to trick you! Stop him!" Lalnable shouts, his playful smile replaced by a worried expression.

"This is exactly what we were trying to avoid!" Simon runs at them. "The real Duncan will respawn here!"

"But the fake will get away!" Duncan shouts.

"He'll leave his stuff behind though! We can save Zoey and Sips at least!" Lalnable shouts. Duncan growls as he stabs at Lalnable. This fake is making a more and more convincing argument that he's the real Duncan.

"Just let me kill you two!" Simon says as he swings his sword at them both. Duncan tries to avoid the hit, but Lalnabe shoves him into it. The sword slices through Duncan's armor, but doesn't do any serious damage.

"See ya." Lalnable's sword is replaced by a staff of traveling and, which a quick flicking motion, he's gone.

"Where'd he go?!" Duncan shouts as he runs to where Lalnable was, looking for any sign. He looks left, right, left, behind him, then he looks up. There are two holes in the ceiling that weren't there before. "He's upstairs! He has to be!" He flies up with his jet pack, but in his hurry he's failing to get through the hole. After a few attempts he makes it, but all he finds is a room with a couple holes in the floor and a travel anchor. He lands on the anchor, his heart he realizes that he's failed. Lalnable took them.

"SIMO..." The cut off voice of Martyn makes Duncan jump, and his heart shatters.

"Lalnable!" Duncan shouts as he drops down the hole next to the anchor. He sees Lalnable running around the game that was set up, laughing as he avoids the swipes from Simon. Martyn's body, like the others, is lifeless.

"Get back here ya bugger!" Simon yells as he gives chase. Duncan drops down in front of Lalnable, blocking his way. He grips his sword tightly and swings at the approaching killer, but Lalnable smirks triumphantly anyways. Suddenly he places his hand on an open page of a book Duncan hadn't noticed he was holding. A spell is then sent flying at Duncan, making him stop his attack and dodge the spell. When the spell hits the wall Lalnable starts flying.

"This has been a lot of fun, really, but I need to move on with my work." Lalnable says as he flies above the two men. "So, you two ready to give up yet?"

"Not a chance!" Duncan takes off into the air with his jet pack while Simon pulls out an enchanted bow. Lalnable laughs as he easily dodges the attacks.

"Really, now you can tell the difference?" Lalnable shouts down to Simon. "He had that jet pack on earlier and you just tried to kill us both! Only the armor is the same!"

"Sh-shut up!" Simon shouts back. Lalnable smirks and suddenly drops to the ground next to Simon, who shoots him. Lalnable doesn't even dodge the attack. He lets the arrow sink into his armor, doing no damage to him, as his book is replaced by his purple orb. He quickly shoves it into Simon's chest, and then, with a shriek that makes Duncan cover his ears, the dwarf too falls to the ground. The thud from his body makes Duncan want to cry and scream, but he simply drops back down to the ground, staring at where the last of his friends has fallen.

"S-Simon..." Duncan squeaks out. Finally, he's alone. His friends are gone.

He's alone.


	13. Chapter 13

"Just us now." Lalnable says as he turns to face Duncan, his smile unwavering. "You guys tried really hard, but you just couldn't beat me. Now I think it's time you gave up, my dear original." Lalnable's orb, which has become a very dark purple, is replaced by a lighter one.

"Why are you doing this?" Duncan asks, his voice hoarse. "Why would you kill them like this? Why?"

"For science." Lalnable's vicious smile is terrifying, but Duncan hardly notices it. He's too broken to even care.

"What science could require this?" Lalnable doesn't say anything. He gets close to Duncan and holds the orb up. Seeing the orb so close, with the purple shining brightly, reminds Duncan of Kim, in all her flux covered, Hat Films and Sjin despising glory. He hears her scream in the back of his mind, and suddenly he realizes just what's going on. "No!" He jumps back just before Lalnable can put the orb to his chest.

"Come on, don't make this hard." Lalnable says with a sigh.

"Not a chance." He grips his sword tightly, prepared for a fight.

"Duncan, you lost." Duncan doesn't move. "Look at the situation! They're all gone! The entirety of the Yogscast couldn't defeat me!" He smirks. "What makes you think that you alone could do any better?"

"I don't care. I'm not giving up on my friends!" Duncan shouts.

"I never realized I was this annoying." Lalnable says as he glares at Duncan. "Just give me your soul."

"Why do you need our souls? What's the point!" Duncan shouts.

"You really want a monologue?" Lalnable asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Sure. Give it to me. I'll let you know when I'm bored." He starts walking to the side, but Lalnable does the same, not allowing Duncan to get behind him. The two circle around some beds, their eyes locked on each other.

"Fine. I need your souls to be free, and to continue my work." Lalnable says plainly.

"Work?"

"My current experiments are about power, but it can be so much more." He tosses the orb between his hands. "With the power of the shards of souls I've found in the creatures in Minecraftia I've been able to craft fake souls for myself, which is how I can respawn. It takes a lot though, so I won't last much longer. I also can't leave Minecraftia since I don't have a soul of my own. Which is why I need yours." Duncan growls.

"If you just need my soul then why did you take theirs?!" He yells.

"Because my overly emotional counterpart, with the power from true souls I can go anywhere I want." He stops moving, and so does Duncan. "Stealing souls from creatures made by a particular universe is hard and quite worthless. Their souls are empty of real power, even when you gather a lot of them." He holds up the orb. "But a soul of real people, who can traverse the universes, those souls hold a power beyond what we've ever known. I could go anywhere, do anything. I can gain the true power of existence." Lalnable smiles, and the pleasure on his face sickens Duncan. "I can truly hold all of creation in my hands Duncan. It will be mine. You have to see the genius in understanding the truth of this power. This is something amazing, something no one has ever known. A science above all else that no scientist can resist. This is the science of life itself." Duncan grits his teeth. Lalnable sickens him, but at the same time he's right. To understand the truth of life itself, to be the one to discover and know all that is, it sounds amazing.

"I can't stand your stupidity!" Duncan shouts. "You can't be a clone of me! My clones wouldn't be so messed up as to destroy everything for the sake of some information!"

"I suppose clones really are better than the originals." Lalnable says.

"Not a chance!" Duncan jumps onto a bed, then lunges at Lalnable, who jumps to the left. Duncan quickly flies up, avoiding Lalnable's attempt to touch him with the orb. He switches his sword for his needle gun and starts shooting at Lalnable, and the first couple shots hit. "Die already!" Duncan yells. Lalnable starts running, ducking behind Duncan's game to avoid being hit. He switches the orb for his spell book and flips through the pages, looking for the spell he wants.

"You should just give in Duncan!" Lalnable shouts back as he attempts to cast a spell. He smirks, but when nothing happens he frowns. "Right, inside." Duncan flies up higher and shoots at Lalnable, but he runs again. "Even if you kill me I won't be gone!" Duncan switches back to his sword and drops to the ground, attempting to land a blow on Lalnable's head as he does. Lalnable dodges easily, but he barely avoids the swing that comes almost immediately afterwards. He stumbles back, then ducks below another swing.

"You won't be respawning, that's why you're so determined to dodge, right?" Duncan questions. Lalnable half smirks.

"You're right, I'm out of extra lives. I had no choice but to make my move now." He casts a spell, easily hitting Duncan with some fire.

"Ow!" Duncan jumps back and pats the fire out. He glares at Lalnable.

"I won't be gone though. Duncan, I'm still you." Duncan grits his teeth.

"You aren't me!" He shouts.

"Yes, I am." Lalnable shakes his head. "I'm you. I come from you, I think like you." He throws his hands in the air. "I'm you!" His hands drop, but he only seems to grow more smug as he stares Duncan down. "Even if I die Duncan, I'm still in you, a part of you. I was created with only what you knew, with your thoughts, with your likes and dislikes." He points his book at Duncan. "I'm you, dear Duncan Jones. You can never rid yourself of me."

"Shut up already!" Duncan runs at Lalnable, but he's stopped when another blast of fire hits him. He jumps back, trying to put distance between him and this irritating mage.

"What do you think Kim even thinks of you now?" Lalnable asks with a laugh. "Even if you could bring her back she'll never want to see you again! As far as she's concerned you're the one who killed her!" Duncan starts slowly circling Lalnable, who stays in place, but turns to watch him. "None of them will ever look at you the same, you know that."

"They know it wasn't me! They won't hate me!" Duncan shouts.

"They know though." Lalnable shakes his head, laughing more. "You don't get it! You aren't listening, are you?" Lalnable shoots some fire, making Duncan jump back to avoid the hit. "They know! They can never look at you and not see me, because they know I'm a part of you! They know you and I think the same way, and wonder the same things!" Duncan grits his teeth. "You'll never be loved by the friends who risked their lives to help you and Kim." Duncan stops, these words hitting him harder than anything ever has before. "You'll always be the man who tried to kill them, and the man who may do it again." Duncan's face says everything Lalnable wanted. Despair, pain, fear. His words are reaching Duncan, reaching deep into his heart. "You killed them Duncan."

"It wasn't me..." Duncan looks down. "I... I wouldn't..."

"You did." Lalnable takes a step closer to Duncan.

"I could never hurt them, not like this."

"You did." He takes another step.

"No, I..."

"You killed them." He slowly walks towards Duncan, stepping lightly as he switches his book to his empty orb. Light sobs can be heard from Duncan. "You're the only reason they're gone."

"I..." Lalnable gets close, and he raises the orb slowly. He can see the faintest of glow come from it, a warm light, as it comes closer and closer to Duncan's chest. Suddenly He's stabbed in the gut, Duncan's teary eyes glaring into his own. Lalnable grits his teeth. His armor took a good deal of the damage, but this hurts. "I'm saving them anyways!"

"Idiot!" Lalnable shouts as he kicks Duncan back, then jumps back himself. "You'll be alone! You'll regret it! We could use that energy to hold everything in our hands! They'll hold the key to life! Don't you get it?!" Duncan switches to his gun and shoots Lalnable, landing a few more hits.

"I don't care!" Duncan shoots at Lalnable as he runs, barely dodging the hits. "They're my friends! Even if they hate me I can't abandon them!" Lalnable runs for the doors. "I won't follow you!" Lalnable stops and turns, his glare unwavering.

"Don't you want to save your friends?" He asks.

"Of course." He doesn't hesitate in his shots. Lalnable gets hit, but he returns to dodging the hits quickly after. He also switches to a sword and hits some of the shots away. "But I'm not playing your game! You can't do anything until you get me..." He switches back to his sword. "So come on then! Come get me!" Lalnable grits his teeth. He's being bested, and he can't stand it. "What? Given up already?" He holds his hands out. "Come on! Come get my soul!"

"I will!" Lalnable gives in and runs at Duncan. The two then trade blows. A swipe to the legs is blocked, a stab at the chest is dodged, a slash for the neck is barely missed. Time and time again swords clash, and neither blade wielder is willing to yield even an inch.

"Give them back!"

"Give me your soul!" Their anger is boiling, and both know the battle has to tip to one side or the other soon. It will be their side. Lalnable slashes at Duncan, aiming from his right shoulder down to his left hip. Duncan feels his health drop, but he doesn't bother backing away from the attack. Rather, he takes the opportunity to stab his sword right through Lalnable's heart. He feels the push back as the blade digs through the armor and burrows into Lalnable's chest. Lalnable stops moving, and he knows. This is it. This is the blow.

"I'll never be you." Duncan says as he twists the sword.

"You'll never be free of me." Lalnable says. He then disappears.

He's gone.

Duncan stands there, his sword sliding from his hand. It makes a clanking sound as it hits the ground, but no other sound can be heard. The silence is surreal. His arms drop to his side as he looks at Lalnable's grave. LividCoffee is written on the front.

It doesn't feel right.

He looks down at his hands as he holds them, palm up, to look at. Past them he can see the name, the name of the killer who tormented the minds of his friends, who stole his flux buddy, who ruined his life. He simply stands there, for how long he can't say, but it's long enough for his hunger to start hurting him. When the pains of hunger hit him he snaps out of his trance and opens his inventory to grab some chicken. He quickly downs the food until his hunger is full and his health begins to grow. After taking another long look at the grave, he then picks up his sword, switches it for a pick, and digs at the grave. When it shatters all of Lalnable's possessions drop out. He picks them up, but his main interest is the purple orb that holds his friends. He pulls it out of his inventory, and as he holds it in his hands he can't help but feel sick.

"H-how do I get them out?" He turns the orb in his hands, looking for some sort of clue that never comes. "He kept notebooks..." He opens his inventory and looks through it. There's nothing helpful in there. "I bet they're in his lab. Don't worry guys, I'll get you out." He puts the orb away, then rearms himself with his sword. "To the Magic Police headquarters I guess." He turns to the doors and walks out, leaving behind the hellish sanctuary of Hat Corp. It takes a while, but still, he finds his way to the headquarters. From there he begins his true search. He digs random holes, tests for trap doors here and there, spending countless hours and days looking for the dear friends who almost vanished from his grasp for forever. Dirt, stone, coal, all sorts of objects block his way, and many zombies, creepers, skeletons, and others attempt to halt his efforts, but he never stops.

Then, as Duncan feels his hunger eating away at him, he turns to dig in a new direction. "I need to get some more food." He mumbles to himself as he digs. Suddenly he breaks through to an opening. This one is lit up. He feels his heart begin to race as he digs away some of the stone in his way. He then peaks into the opening, and what he finds makes him tear up. A room filled with some magical items, some machines he doesn't recognize, and some orbs, like the purple one, placed on pillows. He drops down, but he feels the pain eat away at almost all of his remaining health. He quickly looks through the chests, and manages to find some cooked steak. He gobbles the food down, then turns to the orbs. "Guys, I'm here!" He smiles at the orbs, then he pulls his purple one out and places it on an empty pillow. "Alright, time to get to work." He turns to a bookshelf filled with works he knows he'll regret reading. "I don't really have a choice, do I?" He asks with a sigh as he pulls a book down, flipping through the pages. Nothing catches his eye, so he moves on to another. This too seems useless, so he moves on to the third one. This one though, this must be it. He stops on a page with some drawings, not unlike the other two books. These have the orbs though, and describe how the orbs work, including extraction. "Yes!" He carefully reads through this part, then he turns to the orbs, trying to decide which to use first. He spots an orb placed separately from the others. "Is this Kim's?" He picks it up, then looks at the book. "Okay." He looks at the orb again. "Kim... I promised I would get you back." He smiles a sweet, sad smile. "I... I'm ready to bring you back." He takes in a deep breath, collects himself, and then gets to work. He walks to a machine that looks a bit intimidating to him. "Alright. Lets do this." He gently sets the orb in a cylinder, then clicks a few buttons, regularly checking the book to be sure he's doing things right. Finally, he looks at the button to start all the work. he hesitates, but he finally presses it. The machine lights up, and the orb begins to glow. The soft light shimmers and sparkles, and he wants to touch it. But, as he reaches his hand out the light disappears. He blinks a few times, his eyes recovering from the light show.

"Duncan?!" He freezes. That voice. He knows that voice.

"K-Kim?" He squeaks out.

"Duncan!" The tears stream down Duncan's face. "Duncan! Is that really you? Duncan?" Duncan begins to cry, and he makes no attempt to hide his tears or his wails of joy. "Duncan! Are you okay? Why are you crying?"

"Kim! You're back! I'm... I'm so happy you're alive!" He smiles as he tries to wipe the tears away. "Where are you?"

"I'm at home, in my bed... I... I know what was going on."

"You... know about Lalnable?" There's a silence, and Duncan feels his heart ache as he imagines all the things Kim must be thinking, what she might say. Will she blame him? Does she hate him?

"I've missed the real Duncan. I've really missed you." A wave of relief washes over Duncan. He lets out a long sigh, and finally his shoulders sink, and he relaxes. It's been a while.

"I-I've missed you too Kim." The two go silent for a few moments, but then Duncan can hear the sobs from Kim's side. "Kim?"

"I... I just need some time. I-I don't even know how I'm supposed to feel."

"Right. I'm just gonna get the others out." He opens his chat box. "Kim."

"Yeah?"

"Flux Buddies forever." He can hear a light laugh from her side.

"Right. Get to work you scrub." He laughs lightly as well, then he shuts down his voice to Kim. He'll let her be alone. He then turns to the others orbs. "Alright guys, time to come home..."


End file.
